JS passes EC formation bill amid objections
The parliament on Thursday passed the bill on the appointment of chief election commissioner and other election commissioners amid protest of opposition bench.
The bill was passed through a majority voice vote in the parliament presided by speaker Shirin Sharmin Chowdhury.
While protesting at the incident, several opposition lawmakers said that passing the law would be unconstitutional if it passed the bill without amending the constitution.
They made the allegation referring to the Article 48 (3) that stipulated that the president would appoint the prime minister and the chief justice.
They said that there was no way of appointing CEC or ECs by the president under the constitution.
Responding to the opposition lawmakers, law minister Anisul Huq told the parliament that the bill —The Chief Election Commissioner and the Election Commissioners Appointment Bill 2022— has been formulated in the spirit of Article 118.
‘There shall be an Election Commission for Bangladesh consisting of the chief election commissioner and not more than four election commissioners and the appointment of the chief election commissioner and other election commissioners (if any) shall, subject to the provisions of any law made in that behalf, be made by the president,’ said the Article 118 of the constitution.
Earlier on Wednesday, the chair of the parliamentary standing committee on the law, justice and parliamentary affairs ministry, M Shahiduzzaman Sarker, placed the report on the bill on Election Commission formation with two changes in the qualifications and disqualifications for appointing the commissioners.
The committee on Monday finalised the bill titled The Chief Election Commissioner and the Election Commissioners Appointment Bill 2022.
According to the passed bill, any Bangladeshi citizen aged minimum 50 years and having 20 years of work experience in government or semi-government or non-government organisations or in the judiciary or autonomous bodies or any other job experiences will be eligible for the posts of the chief and other election commissioners.
According to the passed bill, a person shall be disqualified if he or she has surrendered his or her Bangladeshi citizenship in order to get the citizenship of another country or has been declared insane or bankrupt by a court.
If anyone has been convicted by the International Crimes Tribunal or sentenced to jail on criminal charges by a court, they shall also disqualify for the posts of the CEC and ECs, said the draft bill.
Earlier, on January 17, the cabinet approved the draft bill.
News Courtesy:
https://www.newagebd.net/article/161103/js-passes-ec-formation-bill-amid-objections
